What dog is best for guarding chickens?

[rjking777]

I have heard so many conflicting opions of which dog to get to protect my flock of chickens at night I would like others to voice their opinions. I have been told that border collies are the way to go, but others have said steer clear.... I've been told Greay Pyrenese as well, but then someone said that they will take off if I don't have anthing but chickens to guard. I really want an outside dog and I would love for it to protect my chickens. I've lost two chickens to a coon and have since put up 4 "Night Guards" I've purchased a "Predator Protector" that blinks red lights, white LED strobe light and a high piched sound, but sent it back after it continued to go off from bugs. I really want a dog, but it has to be chicken friendly. What is the best to have? I live in the country, at the end of a dead end road with 40 acres. 20 of which are field with woods around us and a couple ponds. We only have chickens, but in the spring I plan on getting ducks too. My chickens are in a coop at night, but I still want more protection after losing the two. The two I lost were 11 weeks old and I just put them in a new coop that had chicken wire instead of hardware cloth (tough lesson learned!) and a coon peeled it away and got inside.... :-( Can anyone give me their thoughts please? Thanks!

 

[Dixie Chick]

Great Pyrenees are fabulous dogs, their natural instinct is to guard...but as with any breed, they require training. No matter what dog you get, there's an investment in time and effort to ensure that you understand the dog, the dog understands you and what you want it to do, and what you don't want it to do. My most humble suggestion would be to research what breeds would most suit your family and circumstances, then narrow the list down to one that suits your ability to spend time with and train your new guard companion. A quick Google of whatever breed suits your fancy should bring up some good information about their pros and cons.
That said, we have a Pyrenees who is the biggest teddybear on the planet. Couldn't ask for a more laid back, happy go lucky dog ! She's stubborn though, and hard headed. As I have no chickens yet I cannot attest to her ability to guard birds, though her brother lives on a working farm and hasn't lost a chicken yet to predators. He's equally happy guarding the sundry calves, horses and other livestock that make their way to the farm, but he was trained from a young pup what was expected of him and what was unacceptable. Would love to know how you fare in your search and what you finally settle on!

 

[Baby Chick]

Well no matter what kind of dog you get, if you buy it new, or if its bred, its most likely going to attack the chickens. I would say what ever breed you pick, get a rescue who was on a farm (or in a similar situation) before. This way the adoption center can tell you if the dog is ok with chickens. I think personally a Beagles are good. Plus that would be an adoption which is better then buying. Hope this helps!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I have a pit-bull mix and three pugs. The pit and two of the pugs are rescues from local shelters with mixed histories of abuse. All four dogs are out in the yard with my 5 chickens everyday without any problems. In fact I once had a chicken attack a dog but never the opposite. I think dog training is more important than breed selection. Everyone told me that the pit would kill my chickens but she has never been a problem.

With any new dog you will want to make sure to work with your dog on impulse control before introducing them to your flock. Make sure that you can snap your dogs attention back to you even when they see something they want.

Once I felt confident with the overall obedience level and impulse control of my dogs I introduced them to the chickens one at a time and on a leash. As soon as they would start to fixate on the chickens in any other than simple curiosity I would scold them and immediately take them inside. I then brought them back when they were calm and started over. It took a bit of patience but within a few days all of the dogs ignored the chickens and now find very little interest in them at all other than a sniff here or there.

They do love to eat chicken poop and some parasites are transmittable from chickens to dogs so just make sure to keep everyone healthy.

Here is my rescue pit, Lou, with a silkie chick who fell in love with her.

 

[CAjerseychick]

You have the space for a Great Pyreenes as well as harsh weather they were designed for, why not go with that (although the post about doing some research into the breeds that suit you best was sensible)-- this breed does require fencing or it will roam...and there are plenty in rescue d/t few people having the space and conditions they need (they have a loud bark which can disturb neighbors)...
I am very happy with my Bernese Mt dog (its our first one- he is 9 months old- so can not tell you re: the health issues they can be prone to) he is calm surprisingly protective and does not stray-- he patrols our 2 acres, never left before the fence was up, and even now my husband leaves the front gate open all day and he would never walk through it. While not raised with chickens, he just ignores them (we did teach him that they were to be left alone)...

PS we have plenty of critters, and a whole bunch of feral cats living inthe brush in the pasture right next the house-- and havent lost a bird yet (other than to our giant schnauzer-- she is a great guard dog but is what NOT to get for a LGD, at least not as an adult dog unused to livestock)..

 

[aggiemae]

Aside from the breed issues already mentioned a Great Pyrenees is a high needs high cost dog. Research first and if you decide it's right for you contact the breed rescue.

We had one for 12 years and currently have a Komondor (see my photo book) and while they are both wonderful guardians their size and their tendencies towards being over protective ned to bew considered seriously. These are ture working dogs and I would never recommend either breed for anyone who doesn't own live stock. So research ffirst and if you decide this is the right breed for you consider contacting the breed rescue as young dogs are almost always available.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

So research ffirst and if you decide this is the right breed for you consider contacting the breed rescue as young dogs are almost always available.

I'm so glad you mentioned this. With a little research you can find a rescue dog in almost any breed and with patience you can even find young puppies that need good homes.

 

[McGobs]

My wife and kids have always wanted a dog, but I have severe allergies to most all dogs(dander..most animals for that matter). After moving out to the country, we decided to get something small and "hypo-allergenic". So we got a Shih Tzu..nothing fancy. Anyway...to make a long story short, out here in the country, we got critters. Skunks, Raccoons, Foxes, Coyotes, Fishers in the pond...yadda yadda...you name it...we got it.

But since we got the dog...indoor only with a small penned in area out back for business visits...we haven't seen or heard any predators around. The barking alone keeps most of them away from my property.

 

[The Big Dog]

Gday Renee, what your asking is an impossible to answer question.
Dogs are all individuals and what works for one may not necessarily work for another.
I live in the country and a chap down the rd has a little Jack Russel....God help any cat, fox or dog that enters that property.
I, on the other hand have a 170lb Sth African Boerboel, she guards and looks after our livestock.

 

[auto5man]

I would choose a breed that is known for being easily trainable, b/c like an above poster stated no matter which breed you choose there will be an investment in time. I have a wonderful lab and trained her like the poster with the pit bull did., for the most part. Our lab was/is easily trainable with a desire to please. That being said she is bred to retrieve birds, so ALOT of time was invested in the training and i was very cautious. At first supervised in backyard only with leash then later off leash but strictly supervised. Now after a year (she is 1 1/2 now) I can leave her in the backyard unsupervised and she has never harmed a chicken. The training was not difficult, it just took alot of supervised attention.

Now I said easily trainable for a reason. No dog is born a 'chicken guard dog', so you must train the dog this way. Some breeds are simply not suitable. An above poster mentioned a beagle, but I disagree. In my experience (had several) beagles are hard to train, they are stubborn (unless it's something they love like chasing rabbits and barking). And they were bred to chase. I can also say that my miniature dachshund was horrific around my chickens and I had to get rid of him. Also a very stubborn breed. You can train a lab puppy to sit in 15 mins, you cannot train a a dachshund to sit without LOTS of patient training.

Hope this helps...